And sealing machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' T. O.-DEVLIN.

} STAMP ATTAGHING AND SEALING MACHINE. N0. 543,440. Patented July 23, 1895.

' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

INVENTOH Patentedfluly 23,

. T. G. DEVLIN.

STAMP ATTAGHING AND SEALING MACHINE.

ATTORNEYS (No Model.)

(No Model.) A 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T. C. DEVLIN.

STAMP ATTA GHING AND SEALING MACHINE. N0. 543;440. Patented July 23, 1895.

., INVENTOR f Fig. 4 is a front elevation.

NITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS o. DEVLIN, or PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T D. soLIs COHEN AND SIGEL GRUTZE, or SAME PLACE.-

STAMP-ATTACHING AND SEALING MACHINE.

' SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 543,440, dated July 23, 1895.

Application filed April 25, 1894.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. DEVLIN, of Portland, in the county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and use- 5 ful Improvements in Stamp-Attaching and Sealing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to machines for affixng postage or other stamps to envelopes or [0 packages, and has for its object to provide an automatic and perfectly-operating device of this character, through the agency of which the stamp may be out from a sheet or strip, moistened, and secured upon the envelope at the proper corner or upon any other desired portion thereof by the mere movement of one single rod or lever. The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and set forth in particularity.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like letters 7 of reference designate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of'my invention taken upon a line corresponding to wm'in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section upon the line y y, Fig. 1-, the reel, clutch-arm, and spring, forming a part of the o invention, being shown in plan. Fig. 3 is a p u transverse section upon the line 2 2, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view, illustrating in-detail the rollers through which the stamps pass.

In the practice of my invention I construct a base-piece A of suitable size, shape, and material, having formed near the edge, upon the 7 rear and the two sides thereof, a shoulder or support B. At the front of the said base-piece,

' osomewhat removed from its edge, is an upright or wall 0 projecting outwardly from a point below the middle to the top thereof and formed, as shown in Fig. 1, of two sectionallyinverted L-shaped pieces of metal.

4 5 Resting upon the shoulders B and extending through or abutting against the lower portion-of the front wall 0 is a flooring D, which, serving as a support for the entire mechanism or a majority thereof, is preferably formed of 5o metal. From the top of the front wall 0 to the shoulder B is a rectangular casing inclos- Serial No. 508,929. on model.)'

ing the whole of the device on all three sides. This casing may be, formed in two or more pieces and be suitably hinged at the top, as indicated, to enable access to be had to the various parts of the machine.

Toward the rear of the device is a reel or spool F, journaled in one side of the casing E and in a bearing a secured upon the flooring D, this reel being rotatable bya crank b, and having wound thereon the postage-stamps d, which it will be understood arearranged in a strip or sheet. Resting upon the reel F are weight-rollers 0, serving to prevent too free revolution of the said reel and to maintain a regular and even tension of the strip of stamps d wound thereon, these Weight-rollers. being supported by a bar e pivoted in the casing.

Immediately in front of the reel F is a guiderollerf, journaled in the bearingf upon the flooring D and also in the side of the casing E; Beyond this guide-roller f and slightly to the rear of the front wall 0 are feed-rollers g, h,- and h, intervening which and the guide-. rollerf are guide-pieces t.

The upper feed-roller g is mounted upon the journal j, extending from side to side of the casing, in which it works, and having thereon at each end the corrugations or teeth g, which said teeth are comparatively fine or'narrow, :50 but which may be omitted altogether and the surface of the roller be roughened in any other desired manner. At the outside of the casing the journalj has thereon the milled head or handle g ,by1neans of which the rollerg1nay85 be turned and the stamps fed forward. The lower feed-rollers h h, which lie below the plane of thefioor D, are mounted to turn upon an axlej', loosely resting in supports 71. upon the under side of the said floor, the said rollers being revoluble independently of each other.

Rearward of the feed-rollers is a spring-arm is, secured to the floor D by a screw k andihaving at the end thereof the grooved head or 5 yoke Z, which clasps the axle j at the under side thereof and serves to maintain the feedrollers h h normally in engagement with the roller g, yet permitting them to moveslightly to either side, tooperate inconjunction with I00 the roller g and prevent crushing of the stamps to one side. This spring-arm is adj ustablo by means of the screw k which thus regulates the pressure of the rollers. Above this spring-arm 7c and journaled in bearings m is a cam-shaft m, having a crank or handle m on the, end thereof outside of the casing, whereby the said cam-shaft may be turned to force the arm 7c downward and release the rollers h h from contact with the roller 9 to permit removal of the stamps.

Upon the journal j, on which the roller g is secured, is mounted the spur-gear n, meshing with the gear-wheel G, which is journaled in the casing above the said roller g. Within this gear-wheel is secured a drum H, and upon the same journal as that on which the said drum and gear-wheel are mounted is a friction-clutch H, which is adapted to engage with the said drum only upon its forward movement. Any form of friction-clutch ca pable of effecting this end may be used,-the device herein shown being a counterpart of the well-known clutch of the Howe sewingmachine. The said clutch 1-1 is normally held in engagement with the drum H by means of a spring H The arm I of this clutch, which extends upwardly therefrom, has a slot 1 therein and is connected at the top thereof by means of a spiral spring J to a hook at at the top of the post or bearing a, in which the reel or spool F rests, the tendencyof the said spring being to contract.

Extending through the slot 1 in the clutcharm is a shoulder-pin o, screw-threaded and having thereon the thumb-nut by means of which it may be secured in the slot at any point thereof. This point passes through the end of a connecting-rod K, which said rod is pivoted to the lower end of a lever L, journaled at the center or at any other desired point in the casing, and having at the top thereof a friction-roller L.

To the journal L on which the lever L is mounted, is secured an arm M, having in the head thereof, which said head is oblong in shape, an elongated groove M. The said arrn M has attached thereto, by means of an adjustable pin M extending through the slot M, a plate N, which bears upon the flexible air-bulb 0 of an atomizer, the air-nozzle 0 of which passes through and is secured to a bracket P. The height and position of this bracket is regulated by screws p. From the nozzle 0 depends a pipe q, the nozzle 0 passing through the flooring D and through the front wall 0, where its outlet-orifice is arranged in operative relation to the dischargeopening of a water-pipe which connects with a reservoir Q adjoining the casing'E at the base A. It will be understood that this pipe 1' is so connectedto the reservoir (see Fig. 3) as to be constantly kept filled with water by the reservoir Q, which itself is replenished through the aperture Q in the top thereof, and that upon pressing the bulb 0 air will be forced through the pipe q, expelling and spraying the water in the pipe 0" upon the envelope beneath.

Upon the exterior of the front wall 0 is se cured a plate 8, having on the face thereof an outer platet of hardened steel, both of the said plates and the wall 0 having thereon slots aligning with each other and with the feed-rollers g and h h at their points of engagement. The plate .9 is rabbeted at the bottom for the entrance of the pipes q and r, hereinbefore referred to. Within the projecting portion of the wall C is held a vertically-movable rod R, preferably square in shape to prevent turning, the said rod having at the top thereof a knob or handle R, and being surrounded at the interior by a spiral spring S secured to the said rod by a pin S. At the rear of the rod, near the center thereof,

is affixed a block T, beveled at the bottom,

and having upon the top thereof a spring T, which bears upon the under side of the Wall 0.

Upon the lower end of the rod R is mounted a metallic block u, which may, if desired, be provided with yielding material to upon its under surface, and having at the rear thereof the sharpened steel knife-blade 'u. This blade 0) is provided with an inclined edge to facilitate the cutting operation in accordance with the well-known principle, and the block u is similarly formed to correspond therewith, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Upon the base-piece, immediately in front of the slot 5-, is placed a slab or block U, inclined to correspond with the block u, and having thereon a rubber covering or surface U. This slab is not permanently secured to the base-piece, and may be removed therefrom when bulky packages are to be stamped.

The operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings.

The stamps 01 having first been wound upon the reel F, the end thereof inserted between the feed-rollers g, h, and h, and fed forward by turning the roller 9 through the agency of the milled head 9 the envelope or other package to be stamped is placed upon the slab U,

the rod R is depressed by means of the knob R, the block T thereon engaging with the friction-roller L and pressing the top of the lever L rearwardly. As this is done the plate Npresses the bulb O, which causes the water present in the pipe 7" to be sprayed upon the surface of the envelope immediately adjacent to the said pipe, and as the rod R is depressed the lever L will be further forced rearwardly, thereby bringing the clutch-arm I forward and turning the gear-wheel G,which, by means of the gear N, actuates the feedroller g, and the strip of stamps d is fed forward a sufficient length to cause the protrusion of one stamp beyond theplate t. By the time this has been effected the beveled or tapered portion of the block T will have passed the friction-roller L, and as the remaining portion of the said block is perpendicular the rod R will continue to descend Without further actuating the mechanism, and the blade 0 at the rear of the plate u will engage with the plate 25, and acting in conjunction therewith will shear E one. stamp from the strip (1, which said stamp will fall upon the envelope at the moistened portion thereof, and when the plate to is presseddownwardly upon the envelope lying upon the slab U, the said stamp will be affixed to the said envelope.

The knob B being released, the rod R will be raised upwardly by the spiral spring S, and the spiral springJ connecting the clutch-arm I with the post a will cause the different parts to resume their. former positions, the gear wheel G and thefeed-rollers, however, not be ing affected, as the clutch H, as before stated,

is incapable of turning the drum H and the gear-wheel G other than on the forward movement thereof. This prevents the stamps from being fed backwardly on the recoil of the rod R.

In conjunction with the stamp-affixing device hereinbefore described, I have designed an attachment for sealing the flaps of the envelopes to be stamped, which said device comprises a tube V-inserted in the reservoir Q, perforated at thebottom and having therein a wick, sponge, or other absorbent material W, above which is secured a cap to which serves as a guide for the envelope-flap and presses the. same downward in engagement with the sponge. a

' It will be observed that the spraying of the water may be increased or decreased in quantity and rapidity by the adjustment of the bracket P to raise or lower the position of the bulb O,'With reference to the plate N,or the said plate N may itself be adjusted by means of the screw-pin'M which secures the shank e of the "said plate in the groove M. It will also be possible to readily regulate the feed of the rollers g h and h by raising or lower -'ing in the groove 1' the pin 0 which secures the connecting-rod K to the'clutch-arm I, the

I point of junction thereof being prearranged according to the length, or if it is desired to 1. A device of the class described compris inga stamp receptacle,means for feeding-the stamps therefrom, a presser acting to affix the stamps, an atomizer arranged to contribute moisture, and a lever in operative relation to the presser and having an'extension to oper ate the atomizer.

2. A device of the class described comprising a stamp receptacle, means for feeding the stamps therefrom, a presser acting to aflix the stamps, an atomizer having an air bulb and arranged to contribute moisture, a projection on the presser, and alever in the path of the said projection, said lever having operative connection with the feeding mechanism and the atomizer.

3. A device of the class described comprising a stamp receptacle, means for feeding the stamps therefrom, a presser acting to affix the stamps, an atomizer arranged to contribute presser and having an extension to operate the atomizer, and means for rendering the feed mechanism inoperative at times.

4. A device of the class described comprisstamps therefrom, a presser'actingto affix the stamps, an atomizer having an air bulb and arranged to contribute moisture, a projection on the presser, a lever inthe path of the said presser, said lever having operative connection Withthe feeding mechanism and the atomizer, and means for rendering the feed mechanism inoperative at times.

moisture, a lever in operative relationto the ing a stamp receptacle, means for feeding-the -5. A stamp affixing machine comprising a reel, feed-rollers delivering through a slot in the frame of the device, a slotted metallic plate secured over the said slot in the frame, a spring -contro1led actuating rod having a beveled block thereon, a lever pivoted adjacent to the said rod and adapted to be operated by the said block, an atomizer arranged near the said lever, a plate connecting with the lever and adapted to operate the atomizer, a connecting rod joining the lever to the arm of a clutch engaging with a gear-wheel, which meshes with a gear upon one of the feed-rollers, in such manner as to turn the same in but one direction, pipes leading from the air bulb of the atomizer, and from the water reservoir, to a point in front'of the stamp feed, and a pressing block upon the lower end of the said rod having a cutter blade thereon, substantially as shown and described.

6. A stamp affixing machine comprising a reel, feed-rollers delivering through a slot in the frame of the device, guides intervening IOC the reel and the feed-rollers, a slotted metallic plate secured over the said slot in the frame, a vertically movable. spring-controlled actuating rod carrying a block beveled at the lower portion thereof, a lever pivoted adjacent to the said rod and adapted to be oper-' ated by the said block, an atomizer supported 'upon a bracket near the said lever, a plate secured to an arm connecting with the said lever and adapted to operate the said atom izer, a connecting rod joining the said lever to the arm of a clutch engaging with a gear wheel, which meshes with a gear upon one of the feed-rollers, in such manner as to turn the same only upon the downward movement of the said red, the said connecting rodbeing adjustably secured to the said clutch arm, pipes leading from the air bulb of the atomizer and from a water reservoir to a point in front of the stamp feed, the said pipes being arranged to spray a portion of the envelope.

or package to be stamped, and a pressing block upon the lower end of the rod, having a sharpened cutter blade thereon, substantially as shown and described.

'7. A device of the class described comprising a stamp receptacle, means comprising rolls for feeding the stamps therefrom, a presser acting to affix the stamps, an atomizer having an air bulb and arranged to contribute moist-ure, a projection on the presser, and a lever in the path of the said projection said lever having operative connection With the feeding mechanism, and means for sepa rating the said feeding rolls at times, to prevent feed of the stamps.

8. A device of the class described comprising a stamp receptacle, means comprising rolls for feeding the stamps therefrom, a presser acting to affix the stamps, an atomizer having an air bulb and arranged to contribute moisture, a projection on the presser, a lever in the path of the said presser, said lever having operative connection with the v feeding mechanism and the atomizer, and

means for separating the feed rolls at times- 

